Robin Williamson is a name likely to be familiar to many readers as the man behind the business which regularly tops local markets with Continental cattle and sheep. Reporter Wendy Short paid him a visit at Littleburn Farm, in Hamsterley.
LITTLEBURN is spread across two nearby holdings, which cover a total 300 acres of mainly marginal land.
The farm income relies on the sale of store suckler calves and finished lambs, as well as a number of shearling tups and breeding heifers. Mr Williamson is not afraid to admit that his livestock come second only to his family and he strives to produce the best quality livestock that he can.
The suckler herd is made up of 75 spring-calving Limousin and Belgian Blue cows, which go to a Limousin bull. New blood is brought into the female lines with the purchase of heifers from Kirkby Stephen and Ruswarp mart in Whitby and Mr Williamson is a regular customer of the Ridley family, of Hesket Newmarket, in Cumbria.
“I like the stamp of the Ridleys’ bulls; they have always done well for me and I feel the family is breeding specifically for the suckler man,” he says. “Their sires are also easy-calving, which is one of the most important traits. I also pay the occasional visit to the Carlisle pedigree Limousin sales.
“The local autumn sales are something I look forward to and I really enjoy the showing side. One of my most memorable moments was when my Limousin bullock won first prize at the Middleton-in-Teesdale suckled calf show and sale. That was in 1994 and I have never quite managed to do it again, although it has not stopped me from trying.
“Calving time is exciting, because there is always a chance that a newborn calf will turn out to be something really special; quality always sells. My favourite cow, Old Faithful, is more like a pet, and I will keep all my good animals for as long as possible; the oldest in the herd is still going strong at 14.
“The secret of successful cattle breeding is to match the right cow to the right bull, but it is not an easy task. The ultimate aim is to have a uniform herd of females and produce a good run of calves; I am constantly striving to improve conformation at the lower end.”
The aim is for a tight calving pattern, with calves sold at six-to-eight months old at Middleton-in-Teesdale Auction Mart. The cows are given vitamin boluses, as the soil in the area is known to be short of copper, and Belgian Blues as a breed are known to benefit from copper supplementation, Mr Williamson points out.
He believes this relatively new introduction has enhanced herd fertility and resulted in calves which are up on their feet and suckling soon after birth.
The treatment also contains selenium, which he believes is vital for good performance results. Cows and their new calves are turned out as soon as possible and creep feed is used on a very limited basis, usually being withheld until June. The family is proud of the progress that has been achieved within the sheep flock and it has not gone unnoticed elsewhere, as many of the home-bred shearling tups and gimmer lambs are sold through direct sales.
Like the cattle, a criss-cross breeding programme has been adopted for the sheep, with the Beltex as the principle sire and including Texel, Charolais and Suffolk ewes. There is also a flock of pure Beltex, which was introduced after Mr Williamson bought a top quality ewe and used embryo transfer.
This produced 36 eggs in the first year and helped to establish the foundation flock.
Polytunnels are used exclusively for lambing, with a small batch lambing at the end of February/beginning of March and the majority timed to start on April 10; the lambing averaged 183 per cent last season.
Again, the emphasis is on minimal creep feeding and Mr Williamson finds that his own lambs, and the animals that he sells on for breeding, fare better in the long term if they are reared on grass alone. This policy is also applied to the tups.
“Breeding sheep that are fed too hard tend to go backwards when they go on other farms and my regular buyers prefer this system of rearing,” he comments.
“The secret is to avoid stocking the sheep too tightly, while at the same time making sure that the grazed grass is highly productive and palatable. I have a regular programme of grass reseeding and add plenty of white clover to the seed mix. Stitching in grass seed has been tried in the past, but the results were mixed and I will stick to the plough in the future.”
Finished lambs, ready from June onward and weighing 38-42kgs, are marketed through Kirkby Stephen mart, where a batch put forward at the Christmas show and sale achieved an average price of £3.50/kg. Many are purchased by Vivers Scotlamb.
Mr Williamson is keen to mention the late Bill Wearmouth, from whom he says he learned an enormous amount about livestock.
“There wasn’t enough work for me on our own farm when I left school, so I took a job with Bill at Rose Hill in Weardale,” he explains.
“I was there for seven years and picked up a lot of knowledge from him. He was always two steps ahead of everyone else; what other farmers were thinking about today, he had already accomplished yesterday.”
In addition to managing his farming enterprises, Mr Williamson runs a fencing contracting business, which sees him travel across the region with his team. His clients are not limited to agriculture, and among the projects he has completed recently are a park and ride facility at Whitby and a section of Tynemouth beach.
Sadly, Robin lost his wife, Linda, to cancer last year. The couple shared four children, with sons, Thomas and Joseph, both working for farm contractors; Todds, of Toft Hill, and Jamie Finch, of Bishop Auckland, respectively. Elder daughter, Catherine, works for a vehicle dealership in Richmond, while the couple’s youngest daughter, Lily, is just eight.
At the other end of the age bracket, Robin’s mother, Sheila, who is in her 80s, still helps out on the farm on a regular basis.
“I live for my livestock and I would much rather work with quality, than with mediocrity,” says Mr Williamson.
“My sons feel the same way and we would all like to see the farm expand so they could both return to work at home, although additional land is hard to find in this location.”
